Honey Badger Facts

Honey badgers are an intriguing animal with many unique characteristics. Some of the interesting facts covered in the article below will help you learn more about this fascinating animal.

AnimalSake Staff

Last Updated: May 2, 2018

The year 2002 was supposed to be very special for the honey badgers (Mellivora capensis). It was special, because the Guinness Book of World Records recognized this unique animal as one of the most fearless animals in the world. Come what may, it is ready to give a tough fight with its tooth and nail. It is a monotypic species of the family Mustelidae. It lacks any close resemblance to any of its distant badger cousins. Instead, you will be surprised to know, it looks more like a weasel. This carnivore has very few natural predators as we already know it knows no fear. Apart from its brave heart, it also has a really thick skin and manages to put forth many aggressive defensive abilities when attacked by a predator. Thus, naturally other predatory animals are wise enough to leave it alone. There are many such interesting facts that you may not know about. These facts have been elaborated here for our AnimalSake readers, who love to know more about animals in the wild.

Quick Info

Before I start enlisting the interesting facts, let me quickly fill you in with some useful information that will help you know the animal better. Honey badgers are jet black in color on the head and the lower side of the body. The upper body is white in color like a large band that starts from the top of the head and ends at the base of their tail. They have short and sturdy legs with five toes present on each foot. There are strong claws present on their feet. The soles have a thick padding and are naked up to the wrists. They have two pairs of mammae and have an anal pouch. This pouch smells awful and is suffocating. It is thought the smell helps in calming the bees when they raid the beehives.

Interesting Facts about the Honey Badger

♦ Honey Badger is known by many other names. It is also known as the ratel, Honninggraevling in Norwegian and the French call them as 'blaireau mange-miel'. In Swahili, this animal is called the Nyegere.

♦ The female is called the 'sow', males are known as 'boar' and babies are called 'kit'.

♦ A group of Honey Badgers is called a company, cete, colony or a set.

♦ The greater honey-guide is supposed to be the best friend for this animal. The bird leads the animal to a beehive. It will happily break open the hive and eat up the honey and larvae. After it leaves, the honey-guide can feast on the beeswax.

♦ Honey Badger walks with a jog-trot, that is, a steady trot like a horse.

♦ Honey Badger has ears that are not visible. They have little internal ears that can be folded out as and when required by the badger.

♦ The 'sow' gives birth to a litter of 1 to 2 young ones. These young ones are born in a nursery den that is lined with grass.

♦ A young one reaches the size of an adult by the age of 8 months, however, the young stays with the mother till it reaches 14 months of age.

♦ The skin of Honey Badger is very thick and the skin around the neck is about 6 millimeters thick.

♦ Its diet consists of beetles, scorpions, tortoises, lizards, snakes, rodents as well as mongoose. They also like to eat roots, berries and bulbs.

♦ Their thick skin helps protect them from the deadliest of all snakebites.

♦ Honey Badgers are very aggressive mammals and known to fight off lions and leopards on a few occasions.

♦ Their skin is so tough that it cannot be pierced by arrows or spears. It can even resist blows from a machete.

This powerfully build animal is very tough to kill and will attack anyone who threatens it in a very aggressive manner. It comes as no wonder that Guinness Book of World Records recognizes it as one of the most fearless creatures on the earth. A ferocious courage coupled with a weakness for sweet something; that is what the animal is all about.